


If you wanna be the king, you gotta kill the king

by Corny_Cornflakes



Category: Good Girls (TV)
Genre: Acting, Angst, Angst and Feels, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Angst with a Happy Ending, Episode: s02e13 King, F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Happy Ending, I fixed the season 2 finale, Partners in Crime
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-27
Updated: 2019-05-27
Packaged: 2020-03-20 06:51:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,741
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18987481
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Corny_Cornflakes/pseuds/Corny_Cornflakes
Summary: "Yeah, well. I didn't get a gift receipt." The playfulness,amusement, in his voice didn't make it any better. One moment he's this tough, reckless gangster who isn't afraid to shoot and kidnap someone, then he's showing this weirdly vulnerable and seductive side with a soft smile creeping on his face. Almost as if he wanted to remind Beth that he's human too."Then why don't you do it?", she asks, highlighting the anger and disappointment with the way the words leave her mouth. The cold metal of the gun in her hand made her skin slowly ache, wanting to let go off it and drop it to the floor.But Beth knew exactly why he won't do it.





	If you wanna be the king, you gotta kill the king

**Author's Note:**

> I LITERALLY STAYED HOME TODAY FROM SCHOOL TO FIX THE SEASON 2 FINALE! I hope you'll enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing this :)  
> (P.S. I made myself cry)

"You got this. Come on." 

His voice was quiet, but encouraging. He knew exactly what his goal was. He gave her the gun. He taught her. He prepared her for this. He wanted to see her shoot the Fed and finally take care of the rotten egg, but this wasn't his goal. Not that evening. 

Beth could feel tears rolling down her cheeks, messing up her mascara even more. What was she supposed to do? How was she supposed to do that? Seeing him stand there as if kidnapping her and an FBI agent was something as normal as doing laundry or going grocery shopping made the blood in her head boil.

"I don't want it.", she mutters, almost choking on her tears. It wasn't the Rio, Christopher or whatever his name was she used to know, _if she ever knew him._

"Yeah, well. I didn't get a gift receipt." The playfulness, _amusement_ , in his voice didn't make it any better. One moment he's this tough, reckless gangster who isn't afraid to shoot and kidnap someone, then he's showing this weirdly vulnerable and seductive side with a soft smile creeping on his face. Almost as if he wanted to remind Beth that he's human too.

"Then why don't you do it?", she asks, highlighting the anger and disappointment with the way the words leave her mouth. The cold metal of the gun in her hand made her skin slowly ache, wanting to let go off it and drop it to the floor.

But Beth knew exactly why he won't do it.

_________________________________________

**3 hours earlier**

"Why did you put a bag over my head?" Although it was a question, it sounded more like a scream because of how surprised and irritated she was. 

"Didn't want to make it look like a casual meeting", Rio responded while fixing the mirror in his car. He parked in a back alley behind his warehouse, which seemed to be the only place at that moment where they could talk without being interrupted.

It was a cold evening, which was normal for early December in Michigan. While he wore his typical black coat and beanie over his head, Beth didn't have anything besides her turtleneck sweater. The freezing air sent a shock through her body. Noticing this, he unfastened his seatbelt and took off his coat, handing it to her. She refused it at first by rolling her eyes, but he let it rest on her knees anyway.

"Well, you could've done something different. My hair's a mess now." 

He then turned towards her, his eyes widening and taking a closer look at her, which made her somehow both uncomfortable and starved for more. 

"Looks good on you though, mami" 

Not sure how to understand this after the recent events, Beth decided to try to fix her hair in the small car mirror and ignore his not so subtle comment. The soft blush showing through her cheeks gave her amusement away though. 

"You don't need to fix it. It'll be a mess soon again." He let out a soft chuckle, letting her know that this, in fact, wasn't just a casual meeting. He had something in mind, maybe even a plan, which he wanted to share with her. 

"It's on you after all."

_________________________________________

 

" 'Cause it's on you." Rio now turned his whole body towards her, trying to intimidate her even more and also letting her know that he did it for her. It was - as he said himself - a _gift._

"No, it's not!" Beth raised her voice, although deep down she knew exactly it was the truth. She was the one who left the pearls, who offered to do more jobs, who wanted to sleep with him, who wanted to be partners. It was on her, and as much as she tried to refuse it, it was the truth. 

"Yeah, it is, mama." Although he knew that she was the one who wanted it in the first place, he was a little bit wrong as well. Rio was aware of the fact that he pushed too far on multiple occasions, and this wasn't different. 

"You put it on me!" _He did._

"You asked for it." _She did._

They didn't know when it all went downhill, but at some point, it did. Maybe even from the beginning. Now it was just a cat and mouse game, helping and hurting each other all the time and trying to get away with it without any consequences, which didn't seem to work very well. 

"You put everything on me! The money, the dealership-"

"Not easy being king, right?"

 _If you wanna be the king, you gotta kill the king. The stuff's medieval, darlin'._ These words echoed through Beth's mind, reminding her of the last time she had pointed a gun at Rio. This made her realize that it was all just a game to him. A chess game. He was the king, who was hiding in a safe place while the queen protected him from getting hurt. Or maybe it was just an act?

"You put it all on me so it's never on you! Nothing's ever on you!" She screamed again, this time raising her voice even more and throwing her hands around. She couldn't contain herself any longer and let her emotions take over instead. 

"Well, now you got a bigger problem, don't you?" He could sense and even understand her hatred, but this didn't matter at that moment. She had a job to finish.

"You think _he's_ my problem?"

_________________________________________

"I have a problem understanding this-" Beth had to stop her sentence midway because she needed to process everything she just heard. "So you will kidnap Turner, then tell me to shoot him but I'll shoot you instead?"

"Pretty much, yeah." His voice was low and husky as always, but the look on his face was surprisingly thrilled.

"This is crazy!" She added, a corner of her mouth lifted and her blue eyes glaring at the man next to her.

"Is it?"

"Yeah, it is! H-How am I supposed to shoot you?" Her hand automatically grabbed the coat on her knees to give her some comfort after imagining herself pointing a gun at Rio and _actually pulling the trigger._

"Just like we practiced." He knew exactly what she meant, but he decided to play with her a little bit instead. She was asking a lot of unnecessary questions, because he was convinced that the plan would work. Rio taught her and saw her practicing, and she was a natural, as much as she refused to believe it. 

"What if you bleed out? Or die? How am I supposed to know where to shoot you?" Beth still couldn't process nor understand his ridiculous and dangerous plan.

"In the chest." His eyes bore into hers as he spoke those words, already knowing how she would react to them.

"What? Are you crazy?"

"It'll look like you'll actually want to kill me. Besides, a couple of bullets in the chest never kill one instantly. Unless you place one in the heart, which you won't." He learned that already at the beginning of his career. It would be a lie if he said that he never got shot before, because he did. 

"How do you know?" Beth's voice finally became calmer and softer again, slowly starting to agree to his idea because of his confidence and reassurance. 

"Because I do."

There was one thing that she didn't get an answer on yet. "And how is that whole act supposed to help us?"

"I'll record the whole thing, darlin'. Blackmail material against that Fed of yours. Besides, it's a way for me to get out." After the vacation with his son, he realized that if he kept on doing what he does, his kid would wake up without a father one day. He finally had an opportunity to get out of it, without having to explain himself to a ton of customers, gangsters and drug dealers. 

"Is this how you want to take care of it?"

_________________________________________

"So put on your big girl panties and take care of it." He wanted to push her harder. He wanted to give her a good reason to pull that trigger. He wanted to make Turner believe what he saw. 

"He's not my problem!" Beth shouted again, trying to convince Turner that it was Rio who was her actual problem and who put her into that mess in the first place.

"Shut your mouth, bitch, okay, and just hand-"

A shot. A scream. Silence.

Beth couldn't believe what just happened. She couldn't believe she actually did it. The moment he raised his voice and called her a bitch made her snap, raising her hand, pointing the gun at him and pulling the trigger. 

She could see the pain and surprise in his eyes as he touched the place where the bullet hit him. In the chest. Just like they have planned. 

Something about watching him getting truly hurt and bleeding made her heart break into a thousand pieces. As much as she despised him at times, Beth really developed deep feelings for him. He was the first man in her life who listened to her, who trusted her, who believed and supported her. Rio was the first man ever to see that potential in her.

But once he looked directly at her, his eyes widening with anger and walking up to her, she takes another shot. And another. It was just an act after all, right?

His body fell to the ground, hitting the cold floor and coughing up blood. It hurt so much that he didn't even feel the immense pain anymore. 

Beth wasn't able to move, her eyes still fixated on him. Looking at him, covered in blood, she wasn't able to hold back her sobbing any longer. All the emotions and thoughts wandering through her mind made her heart beat faster and her tears fall to the ground, although he promised her he'd be alright.

But then she remembered: Agent Turner. He was still there, tied up to a wooden column, waiting to be released. The woman ran up to him, removing the ropes which were wrapped around his body, while Rio groaned in the background.

"Give me the gun. Go. Go!" Turner commanded, once his mouth was free again. 

_________________________________________

"Give me the bag. Come with me", Rio commanded, once both seemed to agree with their plan.

"Where are we going?" Beth asked, stepping out of the car and waiting for him to tell her more.

"Don't be scared, just trust me", he just answered, his voice soft and husky, while he walked up to her with the same bag he used to kidnap her in before.

"You got to be kidding me!" She protested, grabbing his hand and holding it tightly. 

"You need to take care of it. _We need to take care of it._ "

Letting go of his wrist, Beth closed her eyes and allowed him to put the bag over her head again. At least her hair couldn't get any worse.

"How do I look?", she suddenly asked, wanting to mock him and bring a little bit of fun into it. Because it _was_ fun for her. 

"You look good, Elizabeth."

_________________________________________

"You don't look so good, buddy."

Turner was now standing over Rio's body, watching as blood ran out his mouth and chest. Placing the gun Beth handed him earlier next to him, he grabbed the wounded man's phone instead. While he typed something in it, Rio observed him with anticipation.

"What do they say? One's the loneliest number?" Turner turned the screen around, showing "91" typed into the dialing keyboard. One number and he would be saved. "It ain't gotta be."

Rio reached out his hand, wanting to dial the emergency contact, but Turner took the phone away right before he could do so. "You know this means you're gonna owe me, right?"

Rio looked at him, closing his eyes to let him know he agreed to his proposition.

"What do you say? I call them now you still got odd."

A distorted laugh left his bloody mouth, satisfied with what he just heard. His plan worked just as he wanted it to. 

"We got a deal?

_________________________________________

"Do we have a deal or not?"

Beth stared at him with shock, although he couldn't see her through that bag on her head. "So know I'm supposed to be the one who produces counterfeit money?"

While they were on the way to his old apartment, Rio decided to let her know about another one of his plans for her, which she definitely did not expect. Getting out also meant that someone else needed to take care of the customers and his workers. Leaving them with nothing would be even more dangerous than keeping his job.

"Yeah, as I said, it ain't that difficult. Just don't tell your lady friends I was the one who told you that, yeah?" 

"Isn't someone going to notice it?" She was asking questions after questions, but she simply couldn't help it.

"If someone does, just call me, alright?"

"Last time I needed you, you didn't seem as if you wanted to help me", she replied, knowing that it was a touchy subject. 

"This time's different", Rio reassured her, giving her a short look and giggling, because he forgot that she still had that bag over her head.

"Why are you laughing?"

"I just like watching you with that bag over your head."

_________________________________________

Little did Turner know that Beth was watching him through the camera the entire time she was gone, saving the video on a USB stick and her phone. Rio was right, this crazy plan really worked.

Although she wanted to stay in that basement to see if the ambulance was able to save him, he made her promise him that she would go back home the moment she got the tape. She wanted to fulfill his wish, _if it was his last._

When she did finally get back home to her family, it was already 6 am and a bright day. Knowing it would be weird that she returned with the same clothes as the night before and smudged mascara, Beth wanted to go upstairs unnoticed and take a long shower. But the moment she saw her kids eating breakfast, she stayed in the hall just looking at them and thinking about their past, present, and future.

And there was Dean, making them breakfast and paying his soon-to-be-ex-wife a short look, not even noticing the way she looked. Beth could hear him say some things to her, but nothing related to her clothes or makeup, so she decided to ignore it. The only thought in her head was Rio. Did the ambulance arrive? Did someone find him? Is he alive?

Not knowing where else to search, she slowly walked up to her soon-to-be-ex-husband and hugged him for some comfort. It wasn't romantic. It wasn't a _let's be together again_ hug. All she wanted was some comfort, from anyone.

The two of them stayed like this for a little while, until their kids finished their breakfast and needed to be taken to school. Figuring Beth wasn't in the mood for it, Dean offered to take them and left the house with them, closing the door and leaving Beth all alone again. 

Lonely. 

That was exactly how she felt at that moment. Standing in her kitchen, not knowing what else to do to distract her mind from thinking about him, she started to cook. It seemed to be the only thing that made her feel good without leaving her at some point. 

Checking her fridge, Beth decided to make some blueberry pancakes. 

_It was a one night stand. I was lonely and angry. And normally sleeping with a complete stranger would repulse me. But it didn't that day._

In a large bowl, she sifted together the flour, baking powder, salt and sugar.

_I dropped the kids off at school and went straight to the bar. We drank a little. And I invited him back to my house._

She made a well in the center and poured in the milk, egg and melted butter, mixing it until smooth. 

_We drank a little more. And then I realized what I was doing was insane and I told him to go._

She heated a lightly oiled frying pan, pouring the batter onto the griddle and letting it get brown on both sides. 

_And he kissed me. I kissed him back. He pulled my panties down and we screwed right there on the kitchen table, on the breakfast dishes._

She finally topped the pancakes with a hand full of blueberries. 

_The kids had pancakes. Blueberry, if you were wondering._

A sudden sound made her finally escape her trance. Looking around her, she notices her phone she took from her car earlier that day laying on the table and ringing loudly. Quickly walking up to it, Beth picked it up and saw "Blocked" lighting up on the screen. Surprised and nervous, she puts it to her ear, waiting for a response on the other line.

"Hello?", she finally askes after a while, the suspense growing. 

"Hey", a familiar voice responds, just like the day before.

"Oh my god, are you alright? Where are you?" Beth didn't even notice her voice getting louder and faster because of how relieved she was and because of the need to ask a thousand questions at the same time. 

"Slow down, Elizabeth. I'm alright, currently layin' in a hospital bed." She could clearly hear his soft chuckle over the speaker, which only lead to tears forming in the corner of her blue eyes.

"Where?"

"At the DMC Receiving Hospital." He sounded almost exactly like his old self, except for the exhaustion and harshness in his usually amused and seductive voice. 

"I'll be there soon." She almost yelled into the speaker when she received the answer, grabbing her keys and wallet.

"You know you don't gotta, right?" But it was too late because Beth already hung up, starting her mini-van and rushing off to Detroit. 

_________________________________________

"Yeah, you gotta. You're the only person I trust handing over the business", he replied sighing, obviously not happy about his decision as well.

"And why are you leaving the business in the first place?" Beth asks a ton of questions, wanting to entertain herself on what seemed like a never-ending road trip to his old apartment, probably because of that stupid bag. But she also genuinely wanted to know. 

"I want my son to have a father."

It was the first time he revealed something personal about his life himself. It was the first time he actually opened up to her about his feelings without any metaphors or hidden messages. 

"I know how it feels." Beth wasn't sure what else to say without scaring him off, so she decided to go with the old _I've been in your shoes_ card. 

"Now I understand what you feel", he continued, "But it ain't that easy. I've been in your position before. Once you get in, you almost never get out."

"And now you have a chance to." She finally understood his motivation to take care of the rotten egg as quickly as possible. Once they would have blackmail material against Turner, he could leave the game and hand it over to her, without her being in danger, while he would help her from behind the curtains.

The rest of the drive they spent quietly, only the radio filling the complete silence between them. Once they finally arrived, Rio helped Beth step out of his black Cadillac and grabbed her by her hand, leading her and not letting her trip over anything.

"Here we are."  
_________________________________________

"There you are!" Beth yelled as she swung open the door of Rio's hospital room. Thankfully he wasn't asleep at that moment, because she would have definitely woken him up with her loud entrance. 

"So you came after all." The smile creeping on his face made her belly tighten. His body was covered with layers of bandages, not allowing him to move too much.

"Of course I came. How are you feeling?" She lowered her voice and sat down next to him on a white, plastic chair. 

"Like a gunshot victim.", he replied teasingly, smirking at the look of an annoyed Elizabeth. "The night was difficult, but I'm fine now. Nothing to worry about. Do you have the video?"

Without answering his question, she pulled out the USB stick and placed it on the table next to him. "I already told the girls about money. They didn't agree yet, but even if they don't, I'll be able to produce it on my own."

"That's good." Rio knew that he could trust her, even after everything they've been through. "We pulled off a great act last night. You were pretty convincing."

"I would lie if I said I wasn't actually mad at you." Feeling bad for what she had done the previous day though, although he wanted her to do it, she grabbed his hand and squeezed it tightly. "I'm sorry."

"You don't have to."

"But I am. I'm sorry for hurting you. I'm sorry for everything." She was close to sobbing again, remembering that the smudged mascara was still on her face and allowing her tears to roll down her red cheeks.

"I'm sorry too.", he replied, closing his eyes shut to her touch and voice.

"No, you don't have to. You did nothing wrong. If it wasn't for me you wouldn't be here. I was the one who wanted a job, who wanted to wash money and who wasn't careful enough. It's all my fault. I'm your problem-"

"Elizabeth." He suddenly interrupted her midway through her monologue, opening his eyes again and looking directly into hers to make sure she was listening to what he was about to say.

"You're not my problem. You're not my work. You're my partner. In everything."

Wiping off another tear with his other hand, she laid her head into his touch and analyzed what he had just said. Did he just put a label on their complicated relationship?

"Wanna be my queen, Elizabeth?"

She smiled at him, a light sob leaving her mouth before she was able to answer.

"Only if you'll be my king."

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you very much for reading my fanfiction! I would really appreciate it if you left a comment letting me know if you liked it and if you didn't, it would be great if you let me know how I could improve my writing. Also, I'm sorry if there are any spelling errors or grammatical mistakes. English isn't my mother tongue and I'm still learning. :) P.S. If you want to talk about Brio and Good Girls with me, hit me up on Tumblr! @obsessedwithadultships or @incorrectbrio


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